ITANAGAR, AUG 26:

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has welcomed the Department of Administrative Reforms and Training’s notification introducing uniform eligibility criteria for direct recruitment to posts and services under the Arunachal Pradesh government, while urging all recruiting agencies to ensure its strict and immediate implementation.

AAPSU specifically called upon the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) to adhere to the notified criteria in all future recruitment examinations. The union warned that any attempt to dilute, bypass or selectively apply the norms would invite its own course of action.

Issued on August 26 under the signature of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Manish Kumar Gupta and approved by the Governor, the notification follows the State Cabinet’s decision of August 13.

According to AAPSU, the move addresses its long-standing demand for mandatory Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) and Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe (APST) certification in government recruitment.

Under the new criteria, candidates seeking direct recruitment to posts under the State Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Autonomous Bodies and Local/Urban Bodies must possess a valid PRC of Arunachal Pradesh, an APST Certificate as an original inhabitant of the State, and working knowledge of an indigenous tribal language of Arunachal Pradesh notified under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

The notification also provides for a mandatory language test after joining service until a formal written Language Proficiency Test is incorporated into competitive examinations. The test is to be conducted within the three-year probation period. Candidates failing to clear it will have their annual increments and further promotions withheld until they qualify.

The APPSC and APSSB have been directed to incorporate the eligibility conditions and post-joining language test mechanism into future recruitment advertisements and rules. The provisions apply with immediate effect to Group A, B and C posts and services.

AAPSU President Meje Taku described the notification as a long-awaited achievement for the indigenous people of Arunachal Pradesh and thanked the government for responding to the union’s sustained demand.

“This is a demand AAPSU has pursued relentlessly, and today it has been translated into a formal government order. We thank the government for hearing our voice and acting on it. But a notification on paper means nothing unless it is enforced on the ground, in every recruitment exercise, without exception,” Taku said.

He urged the APPSC, APSSB and all other recruiting authorities to implement the provisions in their true letter and spirit.

AAPSU further urged government departments, PSUs, Autonomous Bodies and Local/Urban Bodies to comply with the criteria in all recruitment exercises, including examinations currently in the pipeline.

Taku warned that the union would not allow the safeguards to be diluted through bureaucratic delay or selective implementation.

“If any agency fails to comply, AAPSU will not hesitate to act,” he said.